Kemba Walker says he'd take less money to stay with the Charlotte Hornets

June 13 (UPI) -- Charlotte guard Kemba Walker said Thursday that he would be willing to give a discount to the Hornets to stay with the team.

Walker spoke at his basketball camp in Charlotte, saying he would take less than the supermax contract that he could collect from the Hornets.

The Hornets guard can become an unrestricted free agent on the eve of June 30.

"Yeah, why not? Yeah I would be. I would take less, yeah," Walker said when asked if he'd take less than a supermax deal.

A supermax deal from Charlotte could see Walker make $221 million over five years.

Walker said he is interested in seeing the Hornets build a better team. This past season, Charlotte went 39-43, missing the playoffs for the third straight season.

The guard, who has been with Charlotte since 2011, said that staying a member of the Hornets is his prime goal.

"How can they not be?" Walker said. "I don't understand how they cannot be my first priority. I've been here eight years. They were the team that drafted me."

This past season, Walker played in all 82 games and averaged 25.6 points per game with 5.9 assists in just under 35 minutes each contest.

In his eight seasons with the Hornets, Walker has averaged 19.8 points and 5.5 assists per game. He was taken with the ninth overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.

"I don't know how many times I can say it," Walker said. "But if it doesn't work out, I'm definitely prepared to play somewhere else. But yes, I would love to be in Charlotte."